Not applicable.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to canisters, specifically to the use of a canister as consumer packaging for fragile, wafer-like foodstuffs.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Use of a canister as a food container has many desirable benefits. A canister is strong, compact, and inexpensive. Use of a canister for storage of flours, rice, uncooked pasta, and other bulk goods is the traditional usage. However, a canister can also be of great benefit to ship and store fragile foodstuffs such as uniformly sized and molded snacks or any fragile wafer-like food or cookie.
The limitation of a canister for prepared wafer-like foods such as crisps or cookies is that its contents are reachable only as far as a finger-length. Beyond that point, the canister must be tilted or inverted so that the product begins to slide out. When the desired amount has been emptied from the canister, the canister is returned to an upright position. During the tipping and righting process, the contents slide back and forth, leaving them disheveled, broken, and chipped. If a canister holds several servings, the appearance and integrity of the product is greatly diminished by the last few servings. Additionally, when tilting or inverting the canister, messy crumbs and broken pieces are unintentionally dispensed along with whole product. If the contents of a canister are emptied into a bowl for serving, product identity is lost and unused portions must be dropped back into the canister.
The prior art shows only one attempt to dispense edible wafers from a canister. U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,759 to Bridge and Hill (1998, shows a dispensing lid on a canister. Theoretically, the wafers stay in position and queue properly at the lid to sift out one wafer at a time. The patent abstract indicates that the product is dispensed by inverting and tilting the container. While the dispenser lid can regulate the quantity of wafers dispensed, the remaining product is still susceptible to the range and type of motion that causes the product to crumble and break.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,535 to Moreau (1997, shows a basket for a cooking vessel that hooks via a device to the vessel rim. It is variably adjustable by means of an opposing peg inserted into any one of multiple perforations in the basket. The basket can then be suspended from the cooking media and drained. While the device itself does not perform any lifting function and the purpose and use of the device is considerably different from the current invention, it is cited due to the means of temporary attachment of an element on a vessel rim.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,441 to Sagel and Croft (1998, shows a flexible bag used in conjunction with a rigid sleeve. The identified use of the invention is a container for edible chips. The feature of the packaging is the ability to press in the box corners at intervals to stabilize product movement. The device does not dispense or otherwise alter the tilt and inversion of the packaging to obtain product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,077 to Smith and Klemme (1992, shows a removable paper disk friction fit into a container to divide or restrain levels of product. While the disk may retain layers of product from motion, it does not serve any function as to the dispensing of product. Additionally the canister diameter would have to be large enough for a hand to enter to remove the disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,279 to Countee (1998, shows a box container that can be manipulated on folding features to accommodate a hand entering the container to retrieve bulk snack foods. It is cited as a device intended to eliminate the undesirable aspect of the need to tilt or invert a container to retrieve product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,611 to Tieman (1997, shows a sling like device for removal of food from a slow-cooker.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,707 to Engdahl (1987, shows a container for fragile foods that supports its shape at stress points to prevent fractures.
The prior art shows a variety of devices to divide, portion, or access prepared foodstuffs. Two examples show a retrieval aid for vertical lifting and draining of food from cooking media. The prior art does not show a means of dispensing food from a canister without tilt or inversion.
The elevating dispenser for canister of the present invention utilizes a sling, integral with the canister packaging to cradle and support a column of wafers. As product is diminished, the sling can be raised. A novel configuration allows the sling to temporarily attach to the canister rim at intervals in order to suspend product above or near the canister opening for easy reach. The present invention will enable an ease of use and satisfaction of product quality, display, and appearance substantially greater than inverting a canister to dispense product.
Accordingly, the objects and advantages of the elevating dispenser for canister described in my above patent, several other advantages of the present invention are:
a) to provide a dispensing means integral with packaging.
b) to provide a means of reducing breakage by eliminating tilt and inversion of a canister to obtain product.
c) to provide a means whereby only a simple pinching motion of a finger and thumb are required to remove product that is elevated from within a canister.
d) to provide a means whereby crumbs remain in the bottom of a canister and are not dispensed with whole product.
e) to provide a means whereby wafers packed in a canister are held more snuggly to further reduce breakage due to shipping and handling.
f) to provide an inexpensive and simple packaging solution.
g) to provide a unique and marketable packaging feature in the marketplace.
h) to provide a serving and display means of product in its original packaging for greater brand recognition.
i) to provide a more convenient way of obtaining wafers whereby the user may be inclined to consume more product.
j) to provide a more appealing package and product appearance whereby the user may be enticed to consume more product.
k) to provide an additional benefit of an extra surface area suitable for print and graphic advertising of same or complementary product.
l) to provide an additional benefit of an extra surface area where interesting trivia or pop-culture phenomena can be displayed for target market interest and enjoyment.
m) to provide an additional benefit of a concealed surface on sealed product for chance-type contests, sweepstakes, or games.
n) to provide an additional benefit of a concealed surface on sealed product to use for coupon or discount promotion for same or complementary product.
o) to provide an additional benefit of a dispenser capable of supporting a retainer tab feature to secure product during canister handling.